Anthony Redd
20 - Dime Rutgers
20 - Dime Angels Series
Mike Rose
3* Angels/Yankees Under
Marc Lawrence
Pittsburgh at Rutgers
Pick: Rutgers
Another ESPN Big East battle kicks off Friday night when Rutgers plays host to Pittsburgh in New Brunswick. The Knights have been like money in the bank in games off a double-digit under head coach Greg Schiano, going 13-2-1 ATS when taking points, including 10-0 ATS if they scored 34 or more points in their previous game. With Rutgers owning a rush defense that ranks No. 5 in the land, allowing a mere 65 RYPG, and Pittsburgh a pussycat-like 2-12 ATS as conference road favorites off a spread loss, we'll grab the points with the Knights. We recommend a 3-unit play on Rutgers.
Lenny Del Genio
Pittsburgh at Rutgers
Pick: Rutgers
We're going to take advantage of a line that we think is moving the wrong way as well as some inclement weather that should keep the prolific Pitt passing attack in check. Temperature is supposed to be about 39 degrees at kickoff with 10 to 15 MPH winds. This will cause ultra-conservative Panthers HC Dave Wannstedt to want to run the ball more than he should, keeping this game closer than it should. And the Scarlet Knights know how to beat this team, having done it four straight years by an average of 11 PPG. Last year, the 54 points scored by Rutgers was the most allowed by a Pitt defense since a 60-6 loss to Notre Dame back in 1996. The difference in this game could come down to freshness as Pitt is off BB Big East games, including a close win over UConn last week (trailed 21-6), while all Rutgers has done during that time is walkover Texas Southern 42-0. Rutgers is our Friday Night **LIGHTS OUT** Winner.
Ron Raymond
Minnesota vs. Edmonton
Pick: Minnesota
Keys to selection: Here’s one of those games where the goalie just owns you! Backstrom is 13-1 SU vs. the Oilers lifetime and the Wild are hitting .500 in their last 10 trips to Edmonton. Wild are playing desperate hockey right now and Khabibulin hasn’t had much success vs. Minnesota, he’s 3-7 SU vs. Minnesota lifetime.
Database Tip: When EDMONTON team played as a home team - Vs Division Opponent - Total is 5.5 - Allowed 4 goals AGAINST in their last game; the Oilers are 3-9 SU in this spot.
Ron’s Prediction: Minnesota 3 Edmonton 2
Bob Balfe
Pittsburgh at Rutgers
Pick: Rutgers
After an opening week loss to Cincinnati the Scarlet Knights have rebounded in a big way. Only now we know that the Bearcats are one of the best teams in the nation. Tonight's conditions really favor Rutgers a lot better. It will be cold, rainy and windy. Rutgers runs the ball better and defends the run better than Pitt. Rutgers does have a young QB, but he is very mature and as long as he can hand the ball off and make short accurate throws he should be fine. Pittsburgh is about as night and day of a team as you are going to get and always seem to disappoint. Look for Rutgers to cover the number.
MATT MOORE
RUTGERS
Teddy Covers
Pitt
Alex Smart
Rutgers
NY Under
OC Dooley
2 UNITS Rutgers +6 at home versus Pittsburgh
It is easy to see why the line on this contest has exploded from an opening figure of 3’ points as most bettors still have fresh in their minds the opening week ESPN televised disaster when Rutgers was squashed 47-7 at home by Cincinnati/ Since that debacle the Scarlet Knights have played the “sisters of the poor” going up twice against Division I-AA competition along with a pair of Division I squads (Florida International, Maryland) who have struggled out of the gate. But in my opinion the easy opening schedule for Rutgers was a stroke of brilliance by head coach Greg Schiano as his troops are breaking in some very YOUNG players including freshman quarterback Tom Savage who has already thrown for nearly 700 total yards. Even though the competition has been weak, the many youngsters on the Scarlet Knights roster have gained invaluable experience along with confidence. I for one have complete respect for Greg Schiano who is now in year #9 directing a Rutgers program that used to be in complete shambles. What I will never forget was when Schiano actually turned down the then vacant Miami head coaching job when the Hurricanes came calling. For a coach to show that much dedication for a relatively small program is unheard of in college football and tonight the Scarlet Knights have a chance at retribution on a National-TV level. Tonight marks the 25th consecutive year that Rutgers and Pittsburgh have faced each other in what is one of the longest Big East conference rivalries. Even though the Panthers have dominated the long range numbers, Rutgers has reeled off 4 consecutive outright WINS in this series and have suddenly become a force. What has caught my attention regarding Rutgers is their knack of creating opportunities via the takeaway as they forced the opposition into 15 TURNOVERS in the past four outings. I will admit a veteran Scarlet Knights offensive line has already allowed 14 sacks but that has helped inflate tonight’s price tag. I will also admit that Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull has virtually come out of nowhere with an excellent ratio of 13 touchdown passes versus just 3 interceptions. Stull has looked great with the help of a Panthers rushing attack that is averaging 5 yards per carry, but consider they are being led by true freshman Dion Lewis who at this point may be a bit overvalued. Turning to the subject of WEATHER tonight we will see windy-and-wet conditions, but I want all of you to be aware that Rutgers already has already played in a driving RAIN storm at Maryland earlier which helps acclimate them to adverse field conditions. Even though it was against a weak opponent, the Scarlet Knights are coming off a 42-0 triumph where the defense pitched a shutout. Rutgers just happens to be a positive 4-1-1 ATS when coming off a “margin” victory of 20+ points. Rutgers also has successfully COVERED the spread 10 of the past 14 times they have been cast as a home underdog. In the eight years where Greg Schiano has been head coach, Rutgers has gone a stellar 15-5 ATS versus quality opponents who win by an average of 10+ points per contest. To add even more icing to the cake, the UNDERDOG in this Rutgers/Pittsburgh Rivalry series has COVERED the spread 6 times in the past 7 years!
Scott Rickenbach
9* (TOP PLAY) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+) vs Pittsburgh
This game was originally as low as Pittsburgh -2.5 and the dominant opening number on this game was a -3. Now we’re seeing lines as high as -5.5 on this game as of Thursday afternoon. Anything at +3 or better is certainly offering fantastic line value to the underdog in this one. It’s likely to be rainy, cold, and windy for this one at Rutgers on Friday night. While both teams are certainly use to that type of weather we feel it is favoring Rutgers in terms of their approach. The Scarlet Knights are better suited for a heavy dose of running while Pittsburgh, and particularly QB Bill Stull, was hoping the Panthers approach could be more of an aerial assault here. It’s not likely to be plausible and that really hurts Pittsburgh has certainly become an overbought road favorite in this game. The Panthers are seeking revenge as they’ve four straight games to Rutgers and were embarrassed by allowing 54 points to the Scarlet Knights last season. Revenge is difficult to attain on the road and this is particularly true on a night when Rutgers Stadium has the ESPN cameras rolling and the frenzied crowd is still enjoying being the ones on the dominating end after all those years of futility. The Scarlet Knights are 38-18 over the last 4+ seasons and are a perfect 4-0 against the Panthers during this stretch.
Rutgers has a veteran offensive line that is going to key this battle in the trenches. Yes, the Panthers defensive line received a lot of hype coming into this season but they really haven’t played up to expectations. That means that Rutgers is going to be able to establish their ground game and that is going to be a key to winning the time of possession battle as well as winning the game. Yes, we are well aware of the fact that Rutgers got hammered by Cincinnati to open up their season this year. However, it was senior Domenic Natale that got the start there and he struggled mightily. Freshman Tom Savage came in the second half and played much better than Natale did. He’s been the starter ever since but Savage did miss the Maryland game after suffering an injury against FIU. You will notice that the Scarlet Knights numbers are the least impressive against Cincy and Maryland. It’s no coincidence that Savage did not start those games. The freshman came in highly touted and he truly has lived up to expectations.
We also like how opportunistic the Rutgers defense has been this season as they’ve carried over so momentum from a strong finish last season. Keep in mind, the Scarlet Knights were +9 in turnovers their last four games last season (including their bowl victory over NC State). By the way, that’s the same NC State team that was truly superior to the Panthers in their lone loss this season. The Wolfpack had over 500 yards against the Panthers, as did Buffalo earlier this season, and we feel their defense is over-rated. The fact is that Pittsburgh has not beaten Rutgers since Dave Wannstedt came on board and, until they do, you there is a bit of a “mental block” for QB Stull and his Panthers teammates. Keep in mind that Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator and their defensive coordinator is relatively new to the Panthers as well. It’s no wonder that Pitt hasn’t quite lived up to the hype yet this season and, yet, in this match-up, they are receiving too much hype once again as this line has been driven too high! What is ingrained in the public’s mind here is the beating that Rutgers took in their season opener on Sept 7th. That is giving us great value here because this is simply not the same team. Like Pittsburgh, they’ve faced a number of easy opponents this season. Unlike Pittsburgh, the Scarlet Knights really have solidified things on both sides of the ball. In our opinion, the Panthers defense just can not be relied upon to stop the Scarlet Knights running game. Rutgers is averaging 183 yards per game on the ground while giving up just 65. Pittsburgh is rushing for a solid 166 but they’re allowing 110 yards per game. With the masses piling up on the Panthers to cover a decent size spread on the road in tough weather conditions, we’ll gladly take the Scarlet Knights and their solid ground game and strong run defense to bring get the cover in this one. Play Rutgers plus the points as a 9* Top Play selection.
6* (Regular Play) Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Florida
Off back to back losses at home, we have no doubt about the Flyers bringing a very strong effort to the ice on Friday night. Philadelphia started their season with three straight wins but then fell just short against Pittsburgh and Anaheim to close out a three game homestand. The Flyers lost to the Pens by a single goal while they lost to the Ducks in the shootout. Philadelphia has averaged 3.8 goals per game so far this season and that’s a big issue for the Panthers here. Florida just hasn’t been able to find the back of the net often enough. The Panthers rallied to defeat the Blackhawks in their season opener in Finland. However, since then, Florida has managed just 1.5 goals per game in their last four games!
Note that the Panthers last three games have come against teams that are a combined 7-7-3 this season. As for the Flyers two losses, they came against teams that are combined 9-3-1 this season. Battle-tested Philadelphia is hungry here and that’s bad news for a struggling Florida club that hasn’t skated well in recent games. Center Dominic Moore is expected to make his season debut for the Panthers tonight but he hasn’t even been practicing with the club until very recently as there were problems with his work visa. In other words, he’s not going to be a “catalyst” to turn this club around and the Panthers have been outscored 17 to 6 in their last four games. The goaltending is also an issue for the Panthers as Tomas Vokoun is off to a very rough start with a 3.80 GAA in his five games. As for back-up Scott Clemmensen, he just returned to the team practice on Wednesday as he had missed considerable time dealing with a family issue. In other words, is either one of these guys likely to shut down a Flyers offense (including power play that is clicking at 29%)? We highly doubt it and Philly is well worth the road price here. Note that the Flyers netminder, Ray Emery, is 6-2 in his career against the Panthers. Play Philadelphia on the money line as a 6* Regular Play selection.
The Banker
1*: Philadelphia Flyers -135
Tough card tonight and this game will be no easy win for the Flyers, who outmatch the Panthers on just about every position. Florida is due to win, but that doesn't mean they will. They have serious problems and it may get ugly tonight. The Flyers are 11-4-1 in the last 16 meetings in Florida and 8-2 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons. .
The Canadian Prophet
1* Boston Bruins +105
Oh what has happened to the Boston Bruins? Now they are pegged as road dogs against mediocre teams. Well, 3 stats really stand out for tonight's game: First, BOSTON is 11-0 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%) in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons; and second, DALLAS is 6-16 ATS (-15.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons; and third Dallas is 2-6 in their last 8 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150.
Beatyourbookie
100* Angels
Playmaker Sports
10* Philadelphia Flyers -145
5* Dallas Stars -118
3* Atlanta Thrashers +150